Keeping Time
by trufflesun
Summary: It has been over a year since Ruby moved out of Brian's house. Brian has been doing fine with Debby in his life. Then his life abruptly stops, when he receives a letter from Ruby, asking for his help to solve Ian's murder. A murder that doesn't happen for another 11 years. Sequel to Ruby.


_June 18, 1985_

Brian was coming home from a date with Debby when he saw a package on his front doorstep. He picked it up and brought it in, seeing it was addressed to him. He was glad his parents weren't home yet, as they would have nosed in on it. It had a strange return address, somewhere in Treewood, Georgia. He proceeded to use a knife to open the package. In it was an envelope, sitting atop something covered in bubble wrap. The envelope contained a letter, hand written:

_**Dear Brian,**_

_**I recently found out how to travel time, kind of. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I need your help. Ian was murdered, brutally, chopped to pieces. This happened about two days ago, June 16, 1996. And Max went missing two days later, today, eleven years from now for you. I know you don't believe me, but I have proof. Enclosed in the package, between the bubble wrap, are three Polaroid photos and a box. The pictures are all labeled. The first picture is a DVD, similar to a VHS, it plays movies. There are also CD's, which are like tapes or records,that play music. These formats are nearly brand-new here. The second photo is a present-day computer, displaying the World Wide Web, or public internet. Here, the public can research, send, and receive information worldwide. It is also relatively new, gaining popularity, and being improved on, as are the CD's. The third, and last picture, is a cellular device, known as a cell phone. You have them in your time, but they are large and bulky. They, like computers, have gotten a lot smaller. In the box is one of these cell phones. I will call you on it. Press the green button with a picture of a telephone on it, and the red one to hang up. Please, Brian. You're the only one that can help.**_

_**Love, **_

_**Ruby.**_

Ruby. Brian had kept in contact with her since she left, even visited her a few times. He and Debby had been dating almost a year, and it was going very well. Ruby and Ian had been doing well also, so says Ruby. He took out the bulk of bubble-wrap and unraveled it. As in the letter, there were three pictures and a box. The first picture was a circular round disc with a hole in the middle, a picture of a tornado, a DVD, labeled Twister. Below the picture, in black marker, were the letters DVD. He set it aside and picked up the second picture, a computer. Smaller the a present day computer, displaying a white screen filled with black letters. At the top of the screen was a very small box with _ .com_ in guessed that the WWW was for World Wide Web, and COM was for...company? Below the picture was the label computer/internet. He set it aside and looked at the third picture. The rectangular, orange cellular device, labeled cell phone. He put it down and looked at the box. On the box were pictures of the phone identical to the one in the picture, except there were a bunch of them, all in different colors, to advertise available colors. He opened the box. The phone inside was orange, just like in the picture. He took it out just as it rang. He pressed the green button, then answered just like a regular telephone.

"Hello,"He asked.

"Brian? It's Ruby."

"Ruby, what's going on,"He asked.

"No time to explain,"Ruby said,"They're after me."

"What? Who's after you?!"

"Whoever killed Ian,"She said,"And took Max. You need to find out what happened-happens to them."

"But..how am I supposed to...?"

"Look, I don't have time to go into much detail,"She said,"But I'm certain that John Bender has something to do with this."

"John? Why?"

"Because he and Claire are missing too,"She said.

"What?!"

"I have to go, Brian,"She said,"I'll call you back. And whatever you do, don't dial any numbers."

"Why not?"

"This isn't just ANY cell phone,"She said,"I created it. Weird things happen when you press the numbers."

"Like what?"

"Well, if you press five, your hand might melt off,"She said.

"What do you want me to do,"Brian asked.

"Tell Ian and Max about the package,"She said,"But don't tell me..I mean past me..present me for you. I have to go. Bye."

"Wait..."

She hung up. Brian pressed the red button and then put it in the box. His head was spinning trying to comprehend what had just happened. He'd just received a futuristic package, containing futuristic items, then had a futuristic conversation on a futuristic device with someone in the future. This broke every law of space and time known to man. He'd always thought that time travel was impossible. Then again, he also thought it was impossible to create a girl with a doll and a computer, so maybe time travel wasn't so far-fetched. He put the things back in the package and brought it out to his recently acquired car. A shiny, black, 1955 Buick with red stripes on the sides. He'd always had a love for classic cars, and this one was enough to make any classic car enthusiast jealous. When John had rolled into his drive way in mid-march, with a rusted out piece-of-crap, asking Brian to help him fix it, you'd better believe he was excited. Then, after he fixed it, John offered it to him, at the'friend discount' of 500 dollars, and his parents agreed, he was thrilled. The stripes on the side were his idea, John had suggested flames, but Brian decided it just wasn't 'him'.

Brian drove off to Ian's house. He knocked on the door, glad that Ian answered, and not Ruby.

"There's something I need to tell you,"Brian said.

"Is that for me,"Ian asked.

"That's what I need to talk to you about,"Brian said,"And it's a long story."

Ian shrugged.

"I got time. Come on in."

* * *

A/N: THERE IS NO WEBSITE CALLED , I CHECKED, IF YOU TRY GOING THERE, YOU GET AN UNCLAIMED DOMAIN. THERE IS AS FAR AS I KNOW, NO TOWN IN GEORGIA, OR ANYWHERE CALLED TREEWOOD, I MADE THAT UP.


End file.
